Coin-controlled device.



No. 765,362. Patented my 22, m2. `.L n. KNEEDLER. Com CONTROLLE DDEVHZE.

(Application md. Oct.

2 Sheets-Sheet L Patented .Iuly 22, |902. J. D. KNEEDLEH.

COIN CONTBOLLEDv DEVICE.

(No Model.)

(Application filed Oct. 8, 1901.1

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN DEAM KNEEDLER, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BUELCOUCH, OF SIOUXv OITY, IOWA.

oolN-CON'TROLLED DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION fori-ning part of Letters Patent N o. 705,362, dated July22, 1902.

I Application filed October 8, 1901. Serial No. 771982- (ITo model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN DEAM KNEEDLER, a 'citizen of the United States,residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa,have invented acertain new and useful Coin-Controlled Device, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings. n

This invention relates yto vending machines; and the object in View isto provide a simple and reliable coin-operated machine by means of whichupon the depositing of a coin of the proper denomination thereinsuitable delivery mechanism will be unlocked and thrown into readinessfor operation, after which the operator may cause one of a series ofpackages contained in the machine to be delivered to a point where itwill be accessible. Unless a coin of the proper denomination'isdeposited in the machine the operative parts of the machine whichconstitute the delivery mechanism are incapable of being thrown intoaction. n Y

A further object of the present invention is to provide means by whichonly one package at a time may be removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide Aa cut-off for controllingand closing the coin receiving slot when the machine is empty and toassociate with said cut-oft mechanism which will automatically trip thecutoff after the last package has been withdrawn from the machine.

With the above and various objectsin view, the nature of which will morefully appear hereinafter, the invention consists in the novelconstruction,combination,and arrangement of parts hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front elevation of Vavending-machine constructed in accordance with` the present invention.Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the machine, takenadjacent to 'one of the outer walls thereof to illustrate thecoin-operated locking devices for the delivery mechanism, one of theframe-plates being broken away to show the packages and the devicesassociated therewith. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken just abovethe feed and supportingrolls. Fig. 4t is avertical cenoutwardwithinreach of the operator.

"spectiveview showing the upper end of the Stringer-rod and keepertherefor.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

AIn carrying out the present invention I e'mploy a cabinet substantiallysquare or rectangular in plan and of any desired height,

ysaid cabinet comprising a bottom or base l,

front 2, sides 3, back 4, and Vtop 5, the said parts being associated inany approved manner and one of the sides 3 being preferably maderemovable by means of detachable fasteners 6, such as screws. By makingone side detachable it enables access to be had to the oplerativemechanism whenever necessary and also enables the coin-receptacle'to beemptied. The cabinet may be provided with suitable molding 7' at top andbottom and otherwise ornamented as desired. By preference the front ofthe cabinet is provided with a large glass-covered ornamental panel 8,divided, by

means of intersecting strips 9, into various spaces adapted to receivesuitable advertising matter. Directions for manipulating the machine arealso represented on the front of thecabinet, as shown at l0, and thefront of the cabinet is further provided with a delivery or dischargeslot ll, through which the packages hereinafter referred to are forced.The front and back 2 and 4, respectively, ofthe cabinet are providedwith vertical parallel grooves l2 to permit a pair of frame-plates 13 tobe slid therein, said frame-plates being insertible through the top ofthe cabinet when the latter is removed. By preference these frame-platesdo notl extend entirely to the bottom ofthe cabinet, but terminate at adistance above the bottom, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, where they restupon shoulders 14, constituting the lower extremities of the grooves l2.The delivery mechanism embodies a plu- IOO rality of rolls 15 and 16,all of said rolls being of equal diameter and beingjournaled in the samehorizontal plane. The rolls 15 and 16 constitute a rest for asuperimposed pile of envelops or wrappers 17, forming packages in whichmay be placed letter-paper, envelops, stamps, tbc., to be delivered tothe operator. Only the lowermost package 17 rests in contact with therolls 15 and 16, so as to be acted upon by the feed-rolls 15. In order,however, to guard against the possible delivery of more than one packageat a time, all of the packages are provided near their edges withperforations, enabling them to be strung one after another upon aStringer-rod 18, which is preferably arranged at or near the back of thecabinet, the lower end ofsaid rod being screwed or otherwise firmlyconnected to the bottom of the cabinet, while the upper end thereof issharpened, as shown at 18, to facilitate the placing of the packagesthereon. The upper end of the rod is held by means of a keeper 19, whichis pivotally connected at- 20 to the inside of the cabinet and providedwith a laterally-extending perforated ear 21, adapted to fit over andfirmly hold the end of the Stringer-rod, as shown in Fig. 2. Thepackages are urged downward by meansof a follower 22, (shown in detailin Fig. 5,) preferably consisting of a metal plate of sufficientthickness to'give the desired weight. Said follower is provided with oneor more lugs 23, which traverse vertical grooves 24 in the inneradjacent surfaces of the frame-plates 13. All of the rolls 15 and 16arejournaled in the bottom portions of the frame-plates 13, as shown inFigs. 2 and 4. The outermost rolls 16 simply serve as supports for thepackages and are journaled idly and not geared together or to the otherrolls. The inner rolls 15 are, however, geared together, so as to rotatesimultaneously in the samedirection. Toaccomplishthis,theshafts orjournals of the rolls 15 are equipped with spur-gears 25, with both ofwhich intermeshes an intermediateidle pinion 26, journaled on a shortstud-shaft 27, projecting from the adjacent frame-plate 13. The gears 25and 26 are preferably located at the opposite side of the casing fromthe locking and tripping mechanism to be described.

The feed rolls 15 have applied thereto toothed segments 28, consisting,preferably, of sheet-metal plates bent to cover approximately half ofthe periphery of the rolls and fastened thereto in any convenientmanner. Each of the segments 28 is roughened or toothed, as shown, inorder to enable the feedrolls to obtain a firm grip upon the lower sideof the lowermost package when said rolls are simultaneously turned inthe same direction, which turning is effected by means of anoperating-crank 29, located upon the exterior of the casing andremovably fastened, by means of a screw 30 or its equivalent, upon theextended shaft of one of the feed-rolls, as shown in Fig. 3. By coveringportions only of the peripheries of the feed-rolls said rolls areadapted to engage and force outward through the delivery-slot 11 thebottom package. The extent of the toothed segments 28 is such that afterthe bottom package has been projected through the delivery-slot 11 thesmooth or uncovered portions of the feed-rolls 15 will come in contactwith the next succeeding package without tearing the same from thestringerrod and urging it also outward with the lowermost package. Theprovision of the toothed segments 28 insures the lowermost package beingtorn loose from the Stringer-rod, the envelops forming the covers forthe packages 17 being ordinarily of paper or like fragile material.

The mechanism for tripping and locking the delivery devices will now bedescribed.

The front of the cabinet is provided with a coin-slot 3l, preferablybounded by or formed in an escutcheon plate 32. After passing throughthe slot 31 the coin gravitates downward through a coin-chute 33 untilit reaches the lower sectional portion of the coin-chute. The lowerportion of the coin-chute is composed of a stationary section 34 and ayielding section 35. The stationary section (illustrated in detail inFig. 7) is provided with oppositely-located flanges 36, so as to confineand direct the coin in its downward movement, and adjacent to the bottomsaid stationary section is provided with a coin-ledge 37, which arreststhe downward movement of the coin until the push-button 38 has beenoperated. The upper edge of the coin-ledge 37 is preferably beveled, asshown at 38, to allow the coin to slip therefrom and fall into thecoin-receptacle 39 when the yielding section 35 is operated. Theyielding section consists sim ply of a plate adapted to close the openside of the section 34 by lying close to or resting against the iianges36. 'lhe section 35 is provided with an arm 40, provided at its end withan opening to receive a pin or stud 41, mounted on a bracket 42,extending from the front wall of the cabinet backward a suitabledistance therefrom, as shown in Fig. 2, said bracket being provided infront with an angular iiange 43, by which it is secured to the innerside of the front of the cabinet, as shown in Fig. 3. The stud or pivot41 may, if desired, pass into the adjacent frame-plate 13, as shown inFig. 3. The stem 44 of the push-button 38 passes through an opening 45in the stationary chute-section 34 just above the coin-ledge 37, so asto bear against the coin and push the same off the ledge. The stem 44passes through an opening in the front wall of the cabinet and isnormally held outward by means of a spring 46,

encircling the stem and exerting its tension against a shoulder on thestem, as shown in Fig. 2.

Located behind the yielding section 35 is a swinging arm 47, pivotallymounted at 48 on the bracket 42, the free end of said arm being normallyurged toward the coin-chute by IIO means of a spring 49, coiled aroundthe hub 50 of the arm 47 and having one end 51 connected iixedly withthe bracket 42, while the opposite end' 52 bears against the arm 47. Thespring-pressed arm 47 is provided with an extension 53, which lies incontact with the yielding section 35 of the coin-chute, and is providedat the opposite side with another extension 54,constituting alocking-dog,which coperates with a locking-disk 55, mounted on the shaftof one of the feed-rolls 15, as shown in Fig. 2. The disk 55 is fast onits shaft and is in the shape of an involute cam, thereby providing alocking-shoulder 56. The extremity of the dog 54 is notched, as shown at57, so as to provide a shoulder to meet the shoulder 56 and a projectingor overhanging portion which rests against the periphery of thelocking-disk when the parts are in their locked position, as shown inFig. 2;

Upon the same shaft which carries the locking-disk 55 there is fasteneda ratchet-Wheel 58, with which engages a pawl or detent 59, pivotallymounted at 60 on the bracket'42. The arrangement of the locking-disk,ratchetwheel, locking-dog, and pawl 59 is such that normally the shaftof the feed-roll which carries the disk 55 is held locked againstmovement in both directions except to a very limited extent, asufficient amount of backlash being provided to enable thedog 54 todsengage itself from the disk 55 when operated upon by the coin andpush-button.

61 represents a tripping-pin on the locking-Y disk forA elevating thepawl 59 and disengaging it from the ratchet-wheel 58 as the feedrollsare turned.

In order to avoid loss to the operator, I provide means for closing thecoin-slot 6l immediately upon the delivery of the last package containedin the cabinet. In carrying out this part of the invention I provide'asliding cut-off 62, which is adapted to move up and down behind theescutcheon-plate 32,as shown in Fig. 2. The cut-off 62 is pivotally hungfrom one end of a lever 63, which is Eulcrumed intermediate its ends andwhich has its inner end normally held downward by means of a spring 64,which thus operates to hold the cuto open. Coperating with the lever 63is a trip-lever 65, also fulcrumed intermediate its ends and havingconnected to one end thereof a slide-bar 66, the lower end of which isprovided with a foot 67, which works through a vertical slot 68 in theadjacent frame-plate 13, said foot lying in the path of movement of oneof the lugs 23 of the follower 22. Just before the follower reaches thelimit of its downward movement it acts on the foot 67 to depress anddraw down the slide-bar 66, with the result that the trip-lever isvibrated, thereby eecting a closure of the cut off `through the mediumof the lever 63.

In order to prevent unscrupulous persons from extracting a package fromthe cabinet, I employ one or more guard-springs 69, as shown in Fig. 4,which springs are located in recesses 70, formed in the inside surfaceof the front of the cabinet. The springs -normally project across theslot 1l; but on account of theirexibility they are adapted tov yieldunder the in iiuence of an outmoving package until a suflicient portionof the package has been-projected outside of the cabinet to be graspedand withdrawn by the operator, whereupon the guard springs spring backinto place and close the delivery-slot.

The operation of the machine is as follows: A coin is dropped throughthe receiving-slot,

whereupon it descends until it rests upon thel The operator may now turnthe l crank 29, whereupon the tripping-pin 61 disv engages the pawl 59from the ratchet-wheel 58. The feed-rolls 15 and 16 now grasp thelowermost package, tearing the same loose from the Stringer-rod, andforce it outward through the delivery-slot. vAs the package is thusforced outward the feed-rolls complete their revolution, and as the coinhas become displaced from the chute and allowed the parts 35 and 54 toresume their normal positions the shoulder 56 of the locking-disk meetsthe corresponding shoulder of the lockingdog 54, thereby insuring thereturn of the yielding coin-chute section 35 to its normal position. Atthe same time the pawl 59 reengages the ratchet-wheel`58, and thus the`feed-rollsV are locked against movement-in both directions. When thelast package is withdrawn from the machine, the cut-off for thecoin-slot is automatically operated in the mannerabove specified.

The construction of the vfront of the cabinet to provide an advertisingspace or panel` and actuating means therefor, in combination.

with a locking-dog engaging the feed-roll, andra coin-chute comprisingahinged section adapted to be operated upon by the coin and to swing thelocking-dog out of engagement with the feed-roll, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a package-vending machine, packagedelivery mechanism embodying afeed-roll, and actuatingr means therefor, in combination IOO IIO

section operatively engaged with one of the extensions of the pivotedarm, a spring for urging the pivoted arm toward the coin-chute andholding the locking-dog in engagement with the feed-roll, and apush-button arranged to press a coin against the hinged section of thecoin-chute, for the purpose specified, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOI-IN DEAM KNEEDLER.

Witnesses:

WM. E. DAVIS, BUEL COUCH.

